Tuesday, May 09, 2006

The McQuistan Chronicles

As predicted here at Raider Take, Paul McQuistan continues to make a rapid ascent from “who?” to cult hero. Indeed, his new teammates are taking notice and even joining the nickname fray, as evidenced in the following minicamp excerpt from the Sacramento Bee:

Derrick Burgess was asked about a rookie on offense, and like most veterans he wasn't sure about his name. "Seventy-nine ... mullet?" Burgess asked.

"Mullet" is actually tackle Paul McQuistan, the team's third-round pick from Weber State. After two days of practice, he has shown the nasty disposition the Raiders desire.

"He looks like one of those tough guys," Burgess said. McQuistan's surliness was evident in morning pass-blocking drills. McQuistan was physical with defensive end Tyler Brayton, eliciting a shove from Brayton after the whistle.

McQuistan traded nastiness for humility after the morning session. "I don't really put too much stock into that," McQuistan said. "It probably takes away from the game and what I'm trying to do as far as getting better."

Translation: “Next time Brayton shoves me, I’m going to pop him in the mouth.” Suddenly, I’m not feeling so gloomy about our offensive line.And so begins a periodic Raider Take feature called “The McQuistan Chronicles,” in which we monitor and celebrate the life and times of Mr. McQuistan. We want to embrace Paul “Braveheart - McNasty - Malachai - Red Scare - Mullet” McQuistan and welcome him into the Raider Nation. We want to help him make a smooth transition from this to this, and from this to this. Oakland is a long way from Utah, and not just geographically.

i don't understand why everyone getting so hard over this kid. dude needs to just make the team, EARN some playing time and hope his hard work pays off down the road. geez, the way everyone's talking it sounds like this guy already has the starting job and is the second coming of steve wisnewski! and he hasn't even signed a professional football contract yet.

i'm over the team not drafting leinart. especially now with the possibility of a major distraction in paris hilton. i'm more on the reserved side of the table here. with so many blown drafts by al davis in the recent past, i'm not sold on this one just yet. this is the type of draft that may take 3-4 years to develop so there's just no way to tell right now. I for one refuse to jump on any one players bandwagon until they prove themself FIRST.

same for the other draftees, especially huff. none of them has even signed a contract yet so who knows? maybe this so-called safety savior will hold out. then what?

I hear you Scorpio, but personally I don't want to chill out right now. I want to rise up and embrace newcomers like Paul McQuistan, I want optimism to bloom anew this spring, I want to wash the sour taste of Turner & Collins out of my mouth with the minty fresh concoction of Shell, Huff & Howard, I want to get geeked up about the upcoming season and consider it a success until proven otherwise, I want to be part of a Raider Nation groundswell that helps this team sever ties with the recent past and go boldly forward and achieve the Return to Glory. Amen, brothers.

well that is some boring logic scorpio2562, hope is what the offseason is about, nobody said this kid was going to be great, just that we hope he is and we love hearing about his nasty dispostion. roll with it if he busts he busts, doesnt mean we cant show love.

There seems to be a really positive and hopeful feeling about the 2006 season.

This is partly due to Shell's firm, steady leadership and also the excitement about our new draft choices.

The fact that McNasty is getting high praise from Shell, Sims, Burgress after just a few days in camp is a very good sign. McNasty has sparked our enthusiasm because he is an interesting, unique character. In a way, McNasty is a living symbol or representation of what Shell is trying to bring back for the entire team. . . a tough nosed player who plays with a nasty streak. Nothing wrong with that.

Scorpio: It's true that's it's all just hype until these draft picks do it on the field, but you have to start somewhere. If you're going to climb a mountain, you have to take a first step. Early on, there is a sense that these players drafted by Al Davis are serious football players, not clowns like Buchanon, Russell, & Co. This group doesn't need to be told to play tough, hard nosed football for 60 minutes, they are smart enough to know it already. Most importantly, these guys seem to love playing football, unlike, say, James Jett, who looked as if he never even saw a football. Hope is in the air in Oakland, and with Art Shell's firm hand leading the way, I beleive there is good reason to be hopeful this time.

Perhaps our fascintation with McQuistan comes from a love of seeing the misfit succeed in silver'n'black (yep, mullet = misfit).

Perhaps we want a tangible player to show us the "return to nastiness" isn't just Art-speak (check, McQ is already brawling in camp - ask Brayton).

Perhaps we are just creating hype to drown the sorrows of the last three miserable seasons...

Whatever the reasons, Art Shell, Gene Upshaw, Jim Otto, Bob Brown, Lincoln Kennedy, and Steve Wisniewski deserve every bit of love they get. Verily, the only time most folks ever notice an O-lineman is when a yellow flag is thrown in their direction.

Here's hoping one day the name "Paul McQuistan" belongs in the same sentence with these others who came before 'em and paved the way to 5 Raider SBs with loosened teeth, broken bones, and gouged helmets!

If the rookies perform than that is a plus for their first year but the real importance is in what the veterans do. The thing I am excited about is that the veterans who have been playing out of position are being moved back to their comfort zoons and this may be the biggist differance in the new Raider look. Tyler to DE, not OLB. Langston to RT, not G. And also the fact that some of the players who were injured are comming back healthy and ready to ATTACK. Art is going back to the TE in the "O" and the power run and toughness on both sides of the ball. This is the stuff that will excite me, a return to the old style and attitude. You may make a play but we will knok out your teeth and break your nose and see if you can do it again! You will hear footsteps before the hit and you will be nuervous.

For the first time in, I don't know like 3 long years, the Raiders have done something right in this year's draft. I am just as excited as all of you as well as I still have a lot of questions about how OC Walsh is going to produce and if DC Rob Ryan's defense can create havoc. It all begins with a mind set like Coach Shell is instilling. And all the players having a common understanding of what is expected!I just want some solid football. A cohesive team plays solid regardless if it has new or old players. Anyways, that's how I feel

Is there any doubt in anyone's mind that our O-Line will be greatly improved from last year and exert their will on the opponents D?

Is there any doubt in anyone's mind that the collective effort and will to win under Shell will be greatly improved from last year?

The difference in the players' attitudes, dedication, and focus seems to be like night-n-day from last year.

Maybe it is just the eternal optimist in me but since a short week ago it truly feels like the dawn of a new era and return to glory.

Most of the credit for this S&B awakening goes to Shell. His message has really resonated with the players. There is no more guessing about players roles or what is expected of them. There is a clear purpose and well defined goals.

Shell's leadership sytle is truly a breath of fresh air. I love the fact that Shell willingly brought up the goal of the SuperBowl. His view is, why not talk about it when it is the organization's mission statement.

Andrew Walter, the only thing I saw is he is healthy and was 3rd in the rotation but it was said that does not mean anything at this point. All three QB's are compeating equally according to what they said in interviews and they all seem happy the Raiders did not select QB in the first round. Tuie said he was odd man out if the Raiders had signed a new QB, he has 1 year left on his contract and was reported to be shopped around and to Cleveland. Thats all I have heard.

We have a good mix of verterans and youth and we have a good mix of tallent in the coaching staff. X-Veterans who excelled at their positions and played in SB's, currant veterans who have been pro bowlers and have played in SB's, youth who are eager to learn and write their own names in the record books. If all this can come together and work together as a unit we should have a very good team. I believe in Shell, I met him back in 92, I was impressed then and remain so now. Big Al said he regretted firing him and is happy to have him back and so am I. As a Raiders booster club member in San Diego I was picked to represent as security for the family day in Oxnard training camp. Being with the team and all the player was trully huge. I will never forget it nor will I forget Art Shell.

We have upon us a new season coming up, everybody is excited about the new and the obvious changes that needed to happen, I ask the nation that if for any reason things don't work out in the first weeks don't get discouraged, things will work out, we will have a winning team, maybe not this year but I assure you that in two years we will have a solid contender that is going to be there for a few years, three years ago we knew that our team was old, we knew that we were going to go thru some bad times, we had old receivers, we had an old line and we had a secondary that was in turmoil, now the ship has been rebuilt and cleaned, it is getting polished as we speak and in no more than a year it will be sailing and spearheading the NFL.

With all the hype surrounding this guy's name, I've found myself reflecting on why it is important to us. Why someone like me, who has read Raider chatroom chatter for years, and never joined in, would rise up and embrace him as a man yet untested on the field.I believe it is because he is the rigth man, in the right place, at a sorely needed time. Fans need a new face of nasty. Something primeval, unpolished, uncluttered by convention. A man who simply loves to play raw and is big enough to do it on a scale where we all can see him. A gladiator spirit who could care if we like the looks of his speckled mug, and shakes his half tamed mane at the new millinium. Had we been paying closer attention, we might have loved him sooner, or found reason by now to esteem him less, but he snuck in on us and caught us unawares. Initially, we were frightend by him. Nervous we needed somehting better, but his brute face stared us back and said, "I'm your man, deal with it."

Raiders want the crisp autumnal wind to blow a new chill into the hearts of defenders, and this red giant came gusting in. We embrace him without knowing what he will be, because we embrace ourselves as Raider Fans, not knowing yet what this team will be. He is the everyman. He is the everyfan.

Understanding this gave me a little more liberty to contemplate his moniker. While Braveheart sound to o trite, and I'll admit, a bit chick fickish to me, I gave a careful consideration to the comparative material. I looked into the life of William Wallace, the true life hero on which the film was based. The more I read, the more I liked the simple "WALLACE" for so many reasons.

First, he was a Scot and our McQ carries the same fierce blood stock. He was a groundswell leader. Defender of the homeland (read Nation.) Nice guy until you met him on the field. Tear your heart out if you touched what was dear to him. Etc. Ect. Ect.

I also like "Wallace", the "Wall that will knock you on your Ass"

The fact that it rings with Walrus, a mass of creation untethered by beauty is well. . . .

a bonus!

Yeah, he may break something before the seson opens, or spend a year on the bench getting seasoned. He could come to a number of ends untimely, but this isn't about him, or what WILL happen. McQuistan is about our hopes. He is a cult hero because he allows us all to hope.

I'm not afraid to stand behind the man. I need a leader. I need to hope. I hope Wallace sounds the battle cry and charges over the hill taking us all with him.